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News
News Categories: General (Default) | Dialup | DSL (ADSL etc.) | Cable/FTTx | Satellite | Wireless | IPTV | VoIP
09 May, 2008 - 1:15 PM
H2O Networks, which recently announced the building of a new 100Mbps fibre broadband network in Bournemouth using the towns network of underground sewers (news), has clarified that other locations on its original shortlist were "certainly not being ignored".
Speaking to the Northampton Chronicle & Echo, H2O Networks managing director, Elfed Thomas, confirmed that Northampton would be next in line for the network after Bournemouth:
The third of three short-listed towns, Dundee, is also to be included in H2O's future development plans. Council and business officials have welcomed the prospect of a super fast broadband network coming to Northampton.
Speaking to the Northampton Chronicle & Echo, H2O Networks managing director, Elfed Thomas, confirmed that Northampton would be next in line for the network after Bournemouth:
"Bournemouth is the first town we will be covering, but Northampton is certainly not being ignored," he said. "Our next step is to engage with the authorities in Northampton and conduct a feasibility study, with a view to providing complete coverage there in the next 12 months."
The third of three short-listed towns, Dundee, is also to be included in H2O's future development plans. Council and business officials have welcomed the prospect of a super fast broadband network coming to Northampton.
09 May, 2008 - 7:54 AM
PowerupMobile, an online smartphone and PDA retailer, has launched a new offer bundling a free Asus Eee PC mini-laptop (model: Surf 2GB) with T-Mobile's 24 month contract Web 'n' Walk Max (10GB data allowance) mobile broadband package. The promotion also includes a high-speed plug and play USB modem (dongle).
The offer (click here for details), which is only available until 15th June 2008, will set customers back £35 per month. It is also possible to get an 18 month contract option, though the monthly cost then rises to a staggering £44 per month.
It's not a bad promotion, though interested consumers should be aware that a much improved model of the Eee PC is due to launch soon, which is likely to make the Surf 2G less of a bargain as it reduces in price.
The offer (click here for details), which is only available until 15th June 2008, will set customers back £35 per month. It is also possible to get an 18 month contract option, though the monthly cost then rises to a staggering £44 per month.
It's not a bad promotion, though interested consumers should be aware that a much improved model of the Eee PC is due to launch soon, which is likely to make the Surf 2G less of a bargain as it reduces in price.
09 May, 2008 - 7:36 AM
The MD of chip giant Intel, Ashish Patel, has predicted that long-range WiMAX broadband wireless services will have coverage across the UK by 2010, though it is far from clear whether such a prediction has any tangible basis in reality.
To succeed in the UK, WiMAX would effectively need to replace the 3G technology used by mobile phone operators and or be widely adopted by fixed wireless ISPs. However, mobile operators are eyeing rival technologies too (LTE) and Ofcom has yet to auction much of the needed spectrum.
Existing UK implementations are still extremely niche, with only a handful of smaller wireless ISPs (e.g. FREEDOM4) having adopted it. Intel is naturally hoping, having invested millions of its own money, that WiMAX can establish its own market away from rivals. Quite how it could achieve this in the current highly competitive climate is uncertain.
Patel's prediction would require a far more aggressive rollout from mobile phone operators and or fixed wireless ISPs, which would also need to take place within a very short space of time. To be fair, such an outcome is not impossible, though many things would have to go in Intel’s favour for it to come about.
To succeed in the UK, WiMAX would effectively need to replace the 3G technology used by mobile phone operators and or be widely adopted by fixed wireless ISPs. However, mobile operators are eyeing rival technologies too (LTE) and Ofcom has yet to auction much of the needed spectrum.
Existing UK implementations are still extremely niche, with only a handful of smaller wireless ISPs (e.g. FREEDOM4) having adopted it. Intel is naturally hoping, having invested millions of its own money, that WiMAX can establish its own market away from rivals. Quite how it could achieve this in the current highly competitive climate is uncertain.
Patel's prediction would require a far more aggressive rollout from mobile phone operators and or fixed wireless ISPs, which would also need to take place within a very short space of time. To be fair, such an outcome is not impossible, though many things would have to go in Intel’s favour for it to come about.
08 May, 2008 - 1:33 PM
Virgin Media has partnered up with NETGEAR to offer customized Wireless-G Routers and Adapters with its “M”, “L”, and “XL” cable broadband packages.
Packaged as 'Virgin Media Wireless Routers', NETGEAR’s Wireless-G Router (WGR614) is available for free to new subscribers of “L” and “XL” fiber-optic broadband packages, or for a one-off £40 fee for new subscribers of the “M” package.
NETGEAR’s Wireless-G Router with Built-in ADSL2+ Modem (DG834G) is also available for free for new customers on Virgin Media’s non-cable broadband service through a telephone line. Customers will also be able to purchase respective wireless cards, the NETGEAR Wireless-G PC Card (WG511) and Wireless-G USB 2.0 Adapter (WG111), for £20.
The Wireless-G Router features double-firewall protection (NAT & SPI), WEP, and WPA-PSK wireless security to help shield the network from hacker intrusions, and includes NETGEAR’s Smart Wizard installation software to ensure a user-friendly setup process.
Packaged as 'Virgin Media Wireless Routers', NETGEAR’s Wireless-G Router (WGR614) is available for free to new subscribers of “L” and “XL” fiber-optic broadband packages, or for a one-off £40 fee for new subscribers of the “M” package.
NETGEAR’s Wireless-G Router with Built-in ADSL2+ Modem (DG834G) is also available for free for new customers on Virgin Media’s non-cable broadband service through a telephone line. Customers will also be able to purchase respective wireless cards, the NETGEAR Wireless-G PC Card (WG511) and Wireless-G USB 2.0 Adapter (WG111), for £20.
The Wireless-G Router features double-firewall protection (NAT & SPI), WEP, and WPA-PSK wireless security to help shield the network from hacker intrusions, and includes NETGEAR’s Smart Wizard installation software to ensure a user-friendly setup process.
08 May, 2008 - 1:27 PM
The Max Planck Institute for Software Systems has developed a handy web-based Java applet that can detect whether or not your ISP is blocking BitTorrent (P2P) File Sharing traffic - 'Glasnost'.
The tool itself simply simulates BitTorrent traffic for a period of several minutes before reporting its results, though we were unable to run the test ourselves due to heavy load on Glasnost's servers. We suspect that firewalls may also impede the results.
Most UK ISPs do not completely block Peer-2-Peer BitTorrent traffic and the tool can not detect throttling, which many providers do use, so its uses are limited.
The tool itself simply simulates BitTorrent traffic for a period of several minutes before reporting its results, though we were unable to run the test ourselves due to heavy load on Glasnost's servers. We suspect that firewalls may also impede the results.
Most UK ISPs do not completely block Peer-2-Peer BitTorrent traffic and the tool can not detect throttling, which many providers do use, so its uses are limited.
08 May, 2008 - 9:28 AM
Virgin Media has reported its latest first quarter 2008 results today, which saw the operators broadband subscriber base inch forwards from 3,701,200 at the end of 2007 to 3,781,800 now.
The bulk of this increase came from Virgin's cable based broadband platform, while those on its Virgin.net ADSL side reduced from 287,300 at the end of 2007 to 279,500. This loss of 7,800 subscribers could perhaps be contributed to the horrendous service problems customers experienced on their ADSL platform late last year.
It's still too early to know whether the Phorm controversy will have any appreciable impact upon Virgin's broadband subscription figures. The issue only truly began to rear its ugly head through April and has thus missed impacting Q1. Please see our 'Top 10 ISPs' page for a run down of subscriber figures by provider.
The bulk of this increase came from Virgin's cable based broadband platform, while those on its Virgin.net ADSL side reduced from 287,300 at the end of 2007 to 279,500. This loss of 7,800 subscribers could perhaps be contributed to the horrendous service problems customers experienced on their ADSL platform late last year.
Our strategic priorities are to lead the next generation broadband market in speed and quality and to redefine the mid-market TV experience through on-demand. With respect to broadband, our 4Mb to 10Mb upgrade program is underway and we plan to launch 50Mb later this year.
Broadband growth continues and the percentage of customers on our top 20Mb tier continues to grow. We have also significantly enhanced our TV offering with the launch of BBC iPlayer. Both subscriber growth and VOD usage remain strong.
Broadband growth continues and the percentage of customers on our top 20Mb tier continues to grow. We have also significantly enhanced our TV offering with the launch of BBC iPlayer. Both subscriber growth and VOD usage remain strong.
It's still too early to know whether the Phorm controversy will have any appreciable impact upon Virgin's broadband subscription figures. The issue only truly began to rear its ugly head through April and has thus missed impacting Q1. Please see our 'Top 10 ISPs' page for a run down of subscriber figures by provider.
08 May, 2008 - 9:12 AM
NYnet, which was recently awarded a £42.4m Wide Area Network (WAN) broadband contract by North Yorkshire County Council (here), has issued an update on its progress and announced the services launch:
NYnet was formed in March 2007 as a public sector controlled private limited company. The company received over £5m of start-up funding from both regional development agency Yorkshire Forward (£4 Million) and the European Union (£1.1 Million).
‘NYnet’ provides high-speed backhaul infrastructure to 12 Points of Presence in BT Exchanges throughout North Yorkshire, and has undertaken the challenge of stimulating North Yorkshire’s economic growth. The company will do this by providing a high-speed backhaul broadband infrastructure, to enable public and private sector service providers to deliver more advanced services to the citizens of North Yorkshire.
NYnet intends to overcome the issue of rural/coastal disadvantage in terms of broadband and connectivity. This carrier class core and access network offers an exciting proposition for service providers wishing to make an early impact on the expanding markets opened up by next generation broadband services.
The unique commercial enterprise is a collaboration between North Yorkshire County Council, Yorkshire Forward and the European Union. There is potential for grant incentives to Service Providers wishing to establish a presence in the region.
The public and private sector commercial venture was created to provide a communications network capable of delivering multiple high quality services to citizens, business and public sector bodies in North Yorkshire.
The end-to-end architecture incorporates quality of service, resilient core and cost effective wholesale access. NYnet will also offer tiered service level agreements to service providers, with guarantees on bandwidth, quality of service and latency, plus other key service parameters. The collaboration of public sector and private enterprise in this venture creates a major opportunity to meet the challenge of ensuring a socially inclusive approach to all North Yorkshire citizens.
David Cullen, NYnet Chief Executive, said: “The NYnet offering provides service providers with a cost-effective option to tap into this affluent region. With a population of over 600,000, number of businesses in the region of 50,000, a talented workforce and a number of development sites available, there is an excellent business case for investment and growth. As well as being unique in the UK, the NYnet offering is seen as one of the most ground breaking technology-based initiatives in Europe and is being watched with interest.”
Cullen continued: “Following the ADSL enablement of all of the remaining exchanges in North Yorkshire, the region now has a broadband take-up rate that is higher than the national average.
The region offers an excellent basis for relocation, with supported investment packages, excellent transport infrastructure, superb quality of life and rapidly evolving clusters in the creative media, digital and bioscience sectors.”
NYnet intends to overcome the issue of rural/coastal disadvantage in terms of broadband and connectivity. This carrier class core and access network offers an exciting proposition for service providers wishing to make an early impact on the expanding markets opened up by next generation broadband services.
The unique commercial enterprise is a collaboration between North Yorkshire County Council, Yorkshire Forward and the European Union. There is potential for grant incentives to Service Providers wishing to establish a presence in the region.
The public and private sector commercial venture was created to provide a communications network capable of delivering multiple high quality services to citizens, business and public sector bodies in North Yorkshire.
The end-to-end architecture incorporates quality of service, resilient core and cost effective wholesale access. NYnet will also offer tiered service level agreements to service providers, with guarantees on bandwidth, quality of service and latency, plus other key service parameters. The collaboration of public sector and private enterprise in this venture creates a major opportunity to meet the challenge of ensuring a socially inclusive approach to all North Yorkshire citizens.
David Cullen, NYnet Chief Executive, said: “The NYnet offering provides service providers with a cost-effective option to tap into this affluent region. With a population of over 600,000, number of businesses in the region of 50,000, a talented workforce and a number of development sites available, there is an excellent business case for investment and growth. As well as being unique in the UK, the NYnet offering is seen as one of the most ground breaking technology-based initiatives in Europe and is being watched with interest.”
Cullen continued: “Following the ADSL enablement of all of the remaining exchanges in North Yorkshire, the region now has a broadband take-up rate that is higher than the national average.
The region offers an excellent basis for relocation, with supported investment packages, excellent transport infrastructure, superb quality of life and rapidly evolving clusters in the creative media, digital and bioscience sectors.”
NYnet was formed in March 2007 as a public sector controlled private limited company. The company received over £5m of start-up funding from both regional development agency Yorkshire Forward (£4 Million) and the European Union (£1.1 Million).
08 May, 2008 - 9:03 AM
UK ISP NewNet has reported successfully testing a new bonded broadband solution that is capable of delivering speeds of up to 40Mbps over the providers unbundled (LLU) platform.
The service bonds the lines together and uses a special router designed by ZyXEL Communications that was shipped to NewNet for the first trials in this country. Following the successful testing of the service the launch will take place in May this year:
It's not completely clear which DSL derivative is being used for the service, although we suspect that it is ADSL2+.
The service bonds the lines together and uses a special router designed by ZyXEL Communications that was shipped to NewNet for the first trials in this country. Following the successful testing of the service the launch will take place in May this year:
Lee Marsden, ZyXEL Communications Sales Director said: "ZyXEL is delighted to be working in partnership with NewNet, assisting their product development and helping them to open up new ADSL services on their LLU enabled exchanges."
Peter Coates-Buglear, CEO, NewNet plc commented: “This service will be unique in it's capability for 'plug and play' bonded service, no other units we looked at were this easy to use. We are pleased that several months of hard work and liaison with ZyXEL and other suppliers has resulted in a new service that we will roll out on our LLU enabled exchanges. The 40Meg service is yet another example of NewNet pushing the boundaries and setting new standards for service delivery.”
Peter Coates-Buglear, CEO, NewNet plc commented: “This service will be unique in it's capability for 'plug and play' bonded service, no other units we looked at were this easy to use. We are pleased that several months of hard work and liaison with ZyXEL and other suppliers has resulted in a new service that we will roll out on our LLU enabled exchanges. The 40Meg service is yet another example of NewNet pushing the boundaries and setting new standards for service delivery.”
It's not completely clear which DSL derivative is being used for the service, although we suspect that it is ADSL2+.
Previews News Stories
May 9 2008
May 7 2008
May 3 2008
May 2 2008
1:15 PM - H2O NOT Ignoring 100Mbps for Northampton
May 8 2008May 7 2008
2:25 PM - Orange Tops 1.107m Broadband Subscribers
9:09 AM - AOL Preps New 'Radio' Broadband Service
May 6 2008May 3 2008
May 2 2008
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